Tuning Out the Road Rage

As anyone who has ever driven a car knows, there can be some serious road raging drivers on the mean streets. I know I am guilty of a road rage temper tantrum or two (or three or four); however, I also know that it is really in my best interest if I just pay attention to what I am doing rather than listening to the angry shouts of my fellow road warriors. The weight-loss journey (or any of life’s journeys) is no exception. Lately, I have been letting other “bloggers”, whom I have never met (nor will I ever meet) cloud the view of my success. For instance, the story about the Oklahoma City cheerleader who was called “chunky” by some random ink slinger just got me all riled up. I know that it is not healthy (mentally or physically) to compare myself to others, but sometimes I just can’t help it! The way society has distorted and warped what is considered to be “beautiful” is not fair to anyone. As long as there are people out there with poison pens (or should I say cantankerous keyboards) directing their bile at unsuspecting targets, the distortion will only continue. I understand that there are health concerns associated with being overweight, but usually when “chubby” people are attacked publically it’s not by someone who is expressing concern for the health of the person, but rather it’s because the person doesn’t meet society’s idea of Hollywood aesthetics.

 

Back in the day when Marilyn Monroe was the standard by which women would measure themselves, life was indeed simpler. Social media, eating disorders and Sensa were not part of everyday life.  But, much like ignoring the vulgar ramblings of road ragers, I just have to keep my eye on the road and listen to my heart, music or the humming of my own engine rather than the negative voices out there trying to tear others down. I figure by writing about my experiences in a fun and light-hearted way, I can help people tune out the cynicism that permeates the blogosphere! 

I’m reminded of an anecdote about a frog: There were a bunch of frogs who were to race to the top of a mountain. The crowd that gathered to watch the frogs kept chanting that it couldn’t be done, it was too steep, too long and too hard for the frogs to complete. So, one by one, the frogs— listening to the crowd— began to drop out of the race. Except one. One lone frog kept hopping and hopping until finally he reached the top. The crowd couldn’t believe he made it to the top, they were all surprised because of the difficulty of the task. When they asked him how he did it, they realized he was deaf. It was this deafness that allowed him to keep going when all the other frogs had listened to the crowd and thrown in the towel. So, I have to be like the deaf frog: tune out the naysayers and keep on hopping! Really, isn’t that what we should all do? Even when the negative voice we hear the loudest is our own, we just have to keep on hopping!